2 words for the future: 3D printers

The 1960s-era career advice to Dustin Hoffman's character in "The Graduate" appears no less pertinent today, as mid-Hudson entrepreneurs embrace the efficiencies of 3D printing.

Originally called stereolithography, the process for creating three-dimensional objects was patented in 1986 by Charles Hull, a founder of 3D Systems, a global maker of printing equipment.

It essentially works like an ink-jet printer attached to a computer. The computer tells the printer what to "print," but instead of ink, the machine extrudes layer upon layer of a material such as plastic. Other materials used include rubber and powdered metal.

Uses range from manufacturing equipment to creating customized fillings for damaged human bones. People fabricate toy building blocks out of plastic, while others construct entire houses from artificial sandstone, one layer at a time.

Users of the technology point to numerous advantages over traditional tool-and-die processes to produce workable prototypes.

"Nothing is better than having the object in your hand," said Andrew Sealfon, president of RMS Medical Products in Chester.

His engineering manager, Christopher Ogut, agrees.

"There can be a huge difference between what you have on a computer and reality," Ogut said. A design adjustment can be made with a few clicks of a keyboard, rather than having to restart the process by fabricating a new metal mold.

The technology also extends itself beyond consumer-ready products.

"It's to make the tools to make the product, to make the prototype of the product itself, and to improve existing products," Ogut said.

Usheco Inc., a plastics fabricator in Kingston, got its first printer about six week ago. The compnay demonstrated it to 25 people this week during a program held by the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Within 10 years, Schaeffer predicted, a company needing a machine part will simply send an electronic file to the fabricator.

"Just a few clicks later, and you're printing the part," Schaeffer said. "It's called additive machining. There's no waste. You put the material where you want it."

The cost of printers starts at around $1,000 for the home hobbyist — some even make their own printers — to in excess of $100,000 for professional purposes.

"I think it will become more and more common," Schaeffer said of the technology. "It's like electronics. The price is dropping and the quality is getting better."

Ed Hebel, a new tenant of the Orange County Business Accelerator in New Windsor, aims to make his Free Thought Designs a mass producer of business promotional items. He's optimistic of overcoming one of the printing process's shortcomings, its slowness.

"If I have 15 printers, I can get 15 parts per hour," Hebel said. "If I have 100, I'll get 100 in an hour."